8 Animals That Held Political Office

In 1998, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska saw an orange cat named Stubbs take the office of mayor. The cat was never officially elected, per se, but the town had no human mayor in office, as it was too small. 

Stubbs' office could be found at the general store run by his owners. He could typically be found napping here, or otherwise wandering around town.

At times, Stubbs had a rough go of things. During his tenure he was shot by BB gun wielding teenagers, fell into a restaurant's air fryer, survived a vicious dog attack, and even got hauled away by a garbage truck to the outskirts of town.

But his time in office had its bright moments, too. He was visited by dozens of people each day, and received an outpouring of love and support from letters and cards. Most notably, he loved lapping up drinking water mixed with catnip at one of the local restaurants.

An attempt was made in 2014 to draft him into the Alaska Senate elections, but the campaign quickly fell apart.

Stubbs served as mayor for more than 18 years. In 2017, he peacefully passed away at the age of 20.

A black and white horse named Lucky won the mayoral race in Omena, Michigan in 2024. However, this equine was hardly the first animal to take office in this town. He was preceded by a number of dogs and one notable cat.

Did Lucky win because the dog vote was split by too many precious candidates? Or did Omena crave a mayor with a little more trot in their step?

For those worried if an animal from a stable can keep a town…stable, then rest assured, he has a very qualified team beneath him. His co-vice mayors are cats Topsy and Turvy, while another feline friend, Porsche, serves as the deputy vice mayor.

Lucky is Omena's seventh mayor, and managed to win a delightfully fun and competitive campaign. His campaign also happened to raise more than $15,000 for the Omena Historical Society building preservation fund, breaking previously held records.

A beautiful Great Pyrenees by the name of Duke won the mayorship of Cormorant Village, Minnesota back in 2014. At the annual local festival known as the Cormorant Daze, citizens were encouraged to pay $1 to vote for mayor, the faux election serving as a fundraiser for the community. Through a series of write-in votes, the popular pup took home the ceremonial title.

Duke was such a beloved mayor that he served three consecutive terms. In 2016 he even won in a landslide, earning every single vote but one—a vote that went to his girlfriend, Lassie.

As mayor, Duke served the people by appearing in parades and acting as the town's ambassador. Most importantly, he wore a tiny black top hat that made him go viral.

In 2018, Duke retired from politics. The following year, at the hearty age of 13, Duke passed away.

He and his precious top hat left his mark on Cormorant Village, however. In 2024, the mayorship was won by another Great Pyrenees, the lovable Khaleesi.

Fair Haven, Vermont's 2019 mayor, Lincoln the goat, certainly has an irresistible charm. Upon being elected, she refused to get in her cage so she could be transported to town hall to be sworn in. Needing to be coerced into cooperating with food, Lincoln is a goat after my own heart.

Being a goat, Lincoln was of course unable to sign any documents making her political post official. Luckily, a brilliant clerk had the idea to let Lincoln stomp on a pad of ink and place her hoof on the paper as a signature.

The three-year-old Nubian goat only served one term, but she really paved the way for goats in politics. In 2022, a goat named Elsa followed in Lincoln's footsteps and became Fair Haven's mayor.

Before becoming mayor, the big-eyed black cat named Jinx was already an internet sensation, pulling in a massive following on TikTok. This glory and acclaim allowed her to serve—for one day only—as the mayor of Hell, Michigan in April of 2022.

It was a long-standing tradition for the town of Hell to offer a “Mayor of the Day” package to people for the reasonable cost of $100. After all, who wouldn't want to say they ruled Hell for a day? But Jinx was the very first animal ruler of the town.

At the end of her day as mayor, Jinx was impeached and returned to her more than 735,000 TikTok followers.

Way back in 1938, Kenneth Simmons, the Democratic Mayor, nominated one “Mr. Boston Curtis” for Republican precinct committeeman in Milton, Washington. No additional information about this candidate was provided to voters, but as there were no other opponents, Curtis was elected with 51 votes to his name.

When the now elected committeeman was revealed to be a mule, the mayor's prank highlighted the fact that voters truly have no idea who they put their support behind.

In 1981, a Black Lab/Rottweiler mix named Bosco beat out to human candidates to become the mayor of Sunol, California. He ran as a “Re-pup-lican,” with the slogan “A bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant on every corner."

This beloved dog was in office for 13 years, until his death in 1994. His run was known for both local and global scandal. While there was some personal drama as there were quite a few black dogs running around Sunol that could be traced back to Bosco's wily parentage, the real drama came overseas from China. In 1989, Bosco participated in a 30-hour pro-democracy rally outside of San Francisco's Chinese consulate. In 1990, China's People's Daily newspaper ran a story attacking Bosco, upholding him as “proof” of democracy's degeneracy.

The people of Sunol loved Bosco and his impact so much that, in 2008, they erected a life-sized statue of him outside of the local post office.

April the cow won the Eastsound, Washington mayorship in 2011. This particular special election was held to benefit the Orca Island Children's House, and as April was a popular girl around town, she won through a series of write-in votes.

She served as a peaceful mayor, spending much of her time grazing in a grassy field. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2012, but not before benevolently transferring her power to a Portugeuse Water Dog.